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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · mine · can · bat · straw · craft · staff · lean

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — thin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — for digging
  15. craft — boats
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rash — a series
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com